Color, Form, Process

Opening on Sunday 23 March 2025
Free entry and extended opening hours from 11 am–6 pm

The retrospective “Color, Form, Process” honors the extraordinary work of Joachim Hiller, an artist who, throughout his life, resolutely resisted the trends and pressures of the art market. He developed an independent, often experimental visual language that straddles the boundary between abstraction and a subjectively perceived reality.

His work is characterized by intense layers of color, often creating an almost relief-like surface. The materiality of his paintings plays a central role: color is not only used as a means of expression but becomes the very subject of contemplation.

“I do not paint nature, I paint like nature”

he once said – a statement that aptly describes his approach. Hiller was not interested in depicting the visible world, but rather in capturing the processes, structures, and orders found in nature. His works arise from a profound understanding of the painting process itself: applying, layering, and smearing layers of paint, which evoke geological or organic formations.

The artist challenges us to engage with the image as an independent reality – with color spaces that open up, surfaces that suggest depth, and compositions that convey both stillness and dynamic energy. Freed from superficial appeal, a deeper, almost meditative visual experience is offered.

The exhibition at Villa Haiss presents Hiller’s artistic development over five decades, providing a deep insight into his multifaceted body of work. It invites visitors to engage personally with his paintings – with the intensity of the colors, the power of the forms, and the stillness that resides within them.

All the works on display come directly from Hiller’s estate, allowing for a focused selection of works from various techniques and periods, now structured into thematic groups across two floors. A large portion of the paintings is being presented to the public for the first time.

No list with details is provided. Hiller himself never titled his works nor included dates. They are literally timeless and leave any verbal categorization open.

*Exception: very early paper works.